


Fine, Mom!

by teakturn



Series: A Catfish Christmas [8]
Category: Black Panther (2018)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, Family, Family Dynamics, Family Feels, Family Fluff, Minor Character Death, POV Original Character, Teen Angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-13
Updated: 2020-07-13
Packaged: 2021-03-05 05:54:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,860
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25249495
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/teakturn/pseuds/teakturn
Summary: Erik and Fallon have to move the family to Wakanda. Unfortunately, not everyone is on board with this idea.
Relationships: Erik Killmonger/Fallon King, Erik Killmonger/Original Female Character(s), Erik Killmonger/Original Female Character(s) of Color, Original Female Character(s) & Original Female Character(s)
Series: A Catfish Christmas [8]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1253591
Comments: 2
Kudos: 13





	Fine, Mom!

Fallon stepped off the jet and into the thick heat of her new life. They were back in Wakanda, to stay. Gone were the temperate blue skies of California. She now stood under a blue and vibrant sky. Fallon couldn’t even look at it because of the sun.

She thanked the heavens she’d thought to slather on sunscreen. It felt like walking through the oven and the sun was almost unforgiving it beat down on her so strongly.

Fallon didn’t complain. She checked her children to see how they were holding up outside the practically arctic chill of the jet.

Libby, a lanky twelve-year-old now, glared into the sun with a sour expression on her face. She’d been the most resistant to the move. She’d begged and begged to stay at her private school or with friends. When the begging got her nowhere she sank into a sullen silence and hadn’t spoken a word in six weeks. 

At least, she wasn’t speaking to Erik and Fallon anymore. JK., fifteen years old and almost as tall as his father, would often report back to them what her form of protest would be that week. She began with a hunger strike. Something Fallon hadn’t expected to last long but it did worry her that was her daughter's first choice. Then she’d taken to blaring music at all hours of the night. Until Erik did something probably illegal and shut off all the devices in the house.

Libby may be stubborn but her father was like a bull. The two of them had butted heads as soon as they announced the move. The entire flight over the tension between the two of them made the rest of the family stay to their own corners of the jet. No need to start something, even on accident.

Maddy bounced off the plane and into Fallon’s side, “Baba said to meet him at the palace.”

Fallon adjusted her daughter and held her in as much of an embrace as the heat would allow.

“Alright then, you guys all set?” She looked over her children and their carryons. JK shot her a thumbs up but his head was swiveling around trying to take everything in. He’d come to Wakanda almost every summer since he was born yet he gawked at everything as if he’d never seen it before and would never see it again. Fallon wished Libby had half his enthusiasm.

Maddy nodded, her head banging against Fallon’s stomach. Fallon looked to Libby, “How about you?” 

Libby shrugged and drew in on herself even further. Fallon wished she were little again. When Libby had been five and got all inside herself Fallon knew what to do to draw her out. Staring at this almost woman before her Fallon hadn’t one clue.

She knew empty promises wouldn’t work. Libby was upset that she’d been ripped from everything she’d ever known. She had to leave her friends, her dance company, and all the memories they’d made in their old house. Fallon understood why Libby was upset but she couldn’t give her the one thing that would make her happy.

They lived in Wakanda now, that was the end of it.

Signaling to the guard flanking the family, Fallon and her kids left the landing dock. They were chauffeured through the city. Five guards, not the Dora Milaje, surrounded them at all times. Maddy was fascinated by their arrival but Fallon could tell Libby felt pinned in by them. 

She already didn’t want to be here, how would Fallon feel if she knew security guards were following her every move.

The group of guards surrounding them turned into a group of three that took the family to their wing of the palace. Shuri and T’Challa would be in meetings at this hour, so a reunion had to wait. Fallon knew the palace well enough to feel confident giving her children a tour. JK’s Xhosa was leagues better than Fallon’s so she let him explain the things she couldn’t. 

Maddy remained excited about living in the palace. At eleven her memories of playing in these grand halls were fresher, less precious. JK did a good job encouraging her fantasies while Fallon hung back, with Libby.

“You hungry? Need a break or some water?” Fallon said.

Libby shrugged and didn’t meet her gaze.

“Still mad at us, then?”

Libby started to shrug, but then her face twisted, “...I’m not mad… at you.”

Fallon bit her lip to stifle the inappropriate, “Oh thank god!” that wanted to burst out of her mouth. Her biggest fear had always been fucking up so bad that her daughters hated her. It wasn’t ideal that she's upset with Erik but Fallon could work on that. After she processed how relieved she felt knowing Libby didn’t hate her.

“Yeah, Baba can be…” Fallon searched for the word. She loved Erik but the man was a control freak. He never wanted to mess up or make a mistake but went to such extreme lengths not to be that he fucked up anyway.

The move to Wakanda had been on the table since JK was in diapers. Neither Erik nor Fallon had enough love for America to feel safe raising their son in their borders. But their work with the Centers had preceded their fear of their country. 

Plus they figured they were rich enough to offer at least a little cushion for their children.

Then T’Chaka died. Erik hadn’t handled his death well. Hell, no one in Wakanda handled the death of the late king well. They’d even worried when the Queen Regent, began spending days locked in their bed chambers. With time and a lot of grief, the nation recovered. 

T’Challa became king and Shuri and Ramonda became his advisors. There was no need for Erik and their family to leave their lives in America.

Then Ramonda had died. And well, now they lived in Wakanda.

“It’s like he doesn’t even care how this is gonna affect me!” Libby continued. JK and Maddy looked back at them when her voice bounced off the walls. Fallon signaled for them to mind their business.

Once she was certain they were distracted and running the hallways, Fallon said, “He cares, baby. Of course, he cares. But there was no way for us to be together as a family when he’s needed in Wakanda.”

Libby rolled her eyes and scoffed, “Why couldn’t he move by himself? It’s not like we saw him at the house anyway.”

Fallon bit her lip, sorry that her daughter felt this way and even sorrier that she kind of agreed. They might not have needed to move to Wakanda but Erik’s new workload saw him out of the country more often than not. They had to hand the Centers over to someone to manage it just to keep up with the kids and what was happening in Wakanda. 

That meant the kids went months at a time without seeing him for more than a handful of hours. Fallon tried to compensate by being home more and being more proactive with their lives. The only thing that seemed to accomplish was to make Libby feel like they didn’t need Erik in the house at all.

“Because he would miss you very much, even though I know you don’t feel the same.” Fallon wrapped an arm around Libby’s shoulders and drew them to a stop in the middle of the corridor.

“Listen, I know this isn’t what you wanted. And I want to thank you for not taking it out on your siblings. But we can’t go back to America. We’re a family that stays together and right now together is in Wakanda.”

Libby slumped into Fallon’s embrace and whined, “But what if no one likes me?”

Fallon snorted, “You’re royalty. Even if they don’t like you they wouldn’t tell you to your face.”

Libby continued, “I feel like everyone looks at me like…” she bit her lip and continued in a much quieter voice, “...like I’m the extra. JK’s the oldest and could be an heir and Maddy’s cute so-”

“You’re cute!” Fallon countered. Maddy and Libby could be twins if they weren’t a year apart. They were both cute, little black girls and would remain that way in Fallon’s heart until she died.

Libby rolled her eyes, “You don’t get it!” She pulled out of Fallon’s grip and started walking again, “Plus you have to say that, you’re my mom.”

Fallon said, “Okay, I’m sorry. I’ll shut up and let you finish.”

Libby shrugged and frowned at her feet.

“I’m sorry baby. Finish what you were saying.”

Libby studied Fallon from her peripheral and after a beat, continued, “I feel like the spare. Like everyone would have been happy you only had JK and Maddy.”

Fallon almost saw red, “Who’s making you feel like the spare!” She left off the ‘i’ll kill ‘em’ part of her sentence. She wasn’t up on Wakandan law yet but that seemed too premeditated to go blurting out loud.

“Ma, stop, please,” Libby’s shoulder raised to her ears and she looked side to side.

Controlling her self, Fallon took a deep breath and said, “You, Liberte King Stevens Udaku, are _not_ a spare. You are as vital to this family as me or Erik and if anyone tries to tell you otherwise point them out to me.”

“Why so you can get dad to lecture them?” Libby dismissed.

Fallon shook her head once in one sharp jerk, “Nah, they’re gonna wish I brought your dad in.”

Libby gave her a wide-eyed look.

“Libby you are my daughter. You are one of the most important people in the world to me. If anyone is making you feel less than I wouldn’t be doing my job as a parent.”

Her daughter couldn’t meet her eyes as Fallon spoke. Once she finished, Libby slowed down until they were shoulder to shoulder.

“Thanks, mom,” 

Fallon kissed the top of her head, “Anytime, baby. Do you still hate living here?”

Libby shrugged, “I’m here now. Might as well make the most of it.”

Fallon hugged her daughter close, “That’s my girl. Now you gotta talk to your father and all will be right with the world.”

Libby shot her a look, to which Fallon said, “I can guilt trip you into it but I’d rather you take the initiative and talk to him. You both said a lot of hurtful things. It would please your mother who raised you and loved you very much if you could work it out.”

Libby sighed and then her sigh carried into a zombie-like groan. Maddy and JK stared back at them again, confusion on their faces.

“Mama, what’s up with Libby?”

“Oh, she’s groaning because she likes breaking her poor mother’s heart. Her poor mother who loved her and raised her and-”

“Fine, mom! God!” Libby threw her hands up and stalked off. JK and Maddy watched her retreat and cast nervous glances back at Fallon.

“Let her go. She’s going to apologize to your father.” Fallon rejoined her two children and the trio continued their stroll through the palace.


End file.
